Global indicator 000: the day of the procedure, only.

What 000 means

CMS defines 000 as an endoscopic or minor procedure with related preoperative and postoperative relative values on the day of the procedure only included in the fee schedule payment amount. E/M services on the day of the procedure are generally not payable (Chapter 23, section 50.6). The MLN booklet lists no preoperative period and no postoperative days.

Visits after the procedure day

If the entry is 000, postoperative visits beyond the day of the procedure are not included in the payment for the surgery, and separate payment is made (Chapter 12, section 40.1.C). That is the main difference from 010 and 090, where related follow-up visits are bundled.

The same-day visit

Visits by the same physician on the same day as a minor surgery or endoscopy are included in the payment, unless a significant, separately identifiable service is also performed. CMS's example: a visit could properly be billed in addition to suturing a scalp wound if a full neurological examination is made for a patient with head trauma, but not if the physician only identified the need for sutures and confirmed allergy and immunization status. The separate service is reported with modifier 25 on the E/M code. Contractors may not pay an E/M billed with modifier 57 on the day of, or the day before, a 000 or 010 procedure.

Split care does not apply

Because there is no postoperative period to hand over, split global care billing with modifiers 54, 55 and 56 does not apply to codes with a 0-day postoperative period (MLN booklet).

Endoscopy pricing

Many endoscopies also carry multiple procedure indicator 3, which prices a family of related endoscopies from a shared base procedure instead of the usual 50 percent step. See the multiple procedure page.

Worked example

An endoscopy on January 5 with a 000 indicator has a global period of January 5 only. A follow-up visit on January 6 for related recovery is outside the package and billable. A same-day E/M visit is billable only if it is significant and separately identifiable. The calculator above confirms the dates.

FAQ

How long is a 000 global period?

One day, the day of the procedure. There are no preoperative or postoperative days.

Can I bill a follow-up visit the day after a 000 procedure?

Yes. For 000, postoperative visits beyond the day of the procedure are not included in the surgery payment and are paid separately.

Is a same-day E/M visit billable with a 000 procedure?

Generally no, it is included, unless a significant, separately identifiable E/M service is performed, reported with modifier 25.

Does split care billing apply to 000 codes?

No. CMS says split global care billing does not apply to procedure codes with a 0-day postoperative period.

Is 000 only for endoscopies?

No. CMS describes 000 as endoscopic or minor procedures, so some minor surgeries carry it too.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-11-02 from the CMS documents below. Indicator meanings are paraphrased from the CMS definitions; no AMA CPT descriptors are reproduced. CMS revises the fee schedule and its manuals, so check the current text.

• CMS: Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 23, Fee Schedule Administration and Coding Requirements (Rev. 13701, issued 06-16-26): section 50.6, Global Surgery value 000 (retrieved 2026-11-02).
• CMS: Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12, Physicians/Nonphysician Practitioners (Rev. 13753, issued 05-07-26): section 40.1.C, minor surgeries and endoscopies (retrieved 2026-11-02).
• CMS: MLN907166, Global Surgery booklet (December 2025): FAQs and Using Modifiers 54, 55 and 56 (retrieved 2026-11-02).